David Young's life marked by artful politics

DEFENDER OF THE ARTS: David Young’s office includes a painting bought at the Festival of the Arts, which brings in millions. “People are amazed this little country show is taking in that kind of money,” he said. “They think, ‘This is a big business.’ They have ideas, I think, that they can get some of that in their pockets.” MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Think of him as the spoonful of sugar and the medicine.

David Young has been called a passionate man of principle, a sage, a purist - and a stubborn, ornery obstructionist. Young, soon to celebrate his 93rd birthday, spent a half-century helping build Laguna Beach's reputation as an arts haven and artfully - or ruthlessly - opposing anything he felt threatened that reputation. Many have tried to sum him up, but it's hard to top "innocent dupe of the Red Menace."

Local politics can be brutal.

World War II was raging when David Young, builder and civil engineer, left his wife and two small daughters in Memphis and hopped a train for Los Angeles. He had requested a commission in the Marines, but his degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas destined him for other things: Engineers were desperately needed for the burgeoning aircraft industry in California.

He left much behind. In Memphis, in 1884, Young's grandfather started a construction company that built elegant landmarks such as the Peabody Hotel and the post office. His father took over, and then Young joined the firm. They were busy doing war work - building barracks in Mobile, Ala.; temporary housing for shipbuilders in Pascagoula, Miss. - when he was summoned west.

Young went to work for Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach in 1943, testing airplane control systems and fuel tanks. His secret weapons were always with him: a voice that dripped warm caramel and a swift, soothing smile, which made the painfully honest things he said a wee bit easier to take.

The family moved to Whittier and, after the war ended, headed down to Laguna for vacation - and simply forgot to leave.

Demand for housing was insatiable after the war. Young was quick to oblige. He reconstituted the family business and was soon building houses all over the state. Supplies were scarce, but that Southern charm won him many friends, including one who owned a lumber company. The New Orleans-esque Wells Fargo building in downtown Laguna is his handiwork, as is the Bank of America building.

He and his wife, Mary, bought a lot in Emerald Bay in 1948 - it was cheaper than buying in town - and two sons came along to join the two daughters. Life was good.

His foray into local politics began with a desire to give back: He joined the school board. When a weekly paper ran headlines declaring that the elementary school principal had been in a Communist cell in college, Young came to her defense. He thought she was a wonderful principal. Soon the paper railed against him, too.

An officer from El Toro was recruited to run against him, campaigning with an American flag draped over the hood of his car. Young lost by a handful of votes - it still stings - and the newspaper called him "an innocent dupe of the Red Menace." It still makes him laugh.

Could local politics get any rougher? A neighbor - an artist who exhibited in Laguna's quixotic Festival of the Arts - asked Young if he'd be interested in serving on the festival board.

Young had heard about the odd spectacle that was the Pageant of the Masters - in which living people posed in elaborately painted backdrops that transformed them into three-dimensional works of art - but he had never actually seen it. He had taught descriptive geometry and drafting classes. He was fond of art that imparted pleasant feelings. And so he joined the board in 1954, soon to see how rough things could really be.

Part of the festival was the display of work by local artists. Young didn't endear himself when he declared that there were a half-dozen genuine artists and 50 who liked to play with paint in their garages. The art needed to get better, he said.

Why not have the truly good artists teach the rest? Soon classes began, and the Laguna Beach School of Art, now known as the Laguna College of Art and Design, was born.

DEFENDER OF THE ARTS: David Young’s office includes a painting bought at the Festival of the Arts, which brings in millions. “People are amazed this little country show is taking in that kind of money,” he said. “They think, ‘This is a big business.’ They have ideas, I think, that they can get some of that in their pockets.” MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
BUILDER: David Young, 92, with his grandson Michael Young and his wife, Reanna, and son Robin, right, in the offices of Young Building in Laguna Beach. Robin and Michael Young handle the company’s day-to-day management. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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